AFL Player #37: Nic Martin

[TheGrizz]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2024
2024 My Boy Draft: Pick 1, Beerfish

 

[nipst@r]

3 weeks in a row of improved defence. Really contested well aerially against the Eagles.

From hating the hbf move less than a month ago - due to soft 1 armed efforts, to now a fan of his role as can't believe I'm watching him take contested intercept marks and even back back into packs.

Still think ridley bumps him up the ground but great to have a few skillful backline options to turn to. I like him in swingman - wingman role.

When ridleys back - Martin replaces heppel ideally.

 

[fairbump_playon]

3 weeks in a row of improved defence. Really contested well aerially against the Eagles.

From hating the hbf move less than a month ago - due to soft 1 armed efforts, to now a fan of his role as can't believe I'm watching him take contested intercept marks and even back back into packs.

Still think ridley bumps him up the ground but great to have a few skillful backline options to turn to. I like him in swingman - wingman role.

When ridleys back - Martin replaces heppel ideally.

Or even better Ridley replaces Heppell and Reid replaces Laverde and Martin keeps on carving up

 

[Lance Uppercut]

one of life's truly great annual pleasures is reading the West Coast autopsy threads after they get towelled up by Nic Martin, yet again

 

[jdstorm]

Or even better Ridley replaces Heppell and Reid replaces Laverde and Martin keeps on carving up

Or in practice Redman replaces Heppell and Ridley Replaces Redman.

Then it’s Heppel vs Cox for 1 spot

 

[MiguelM]

Martin looks to have the ball on a string at times.

When he reaches his full potential, wow.

 

[Old Campaigner]

one of life's truly great annual pleasures is reading the West Coast autopsy threads after they get towelled up by Nic Martin, yet again

 

[mcgrath_truther]

View attachment nic_martin.m4v
Beerfish

 

[mcgrath_truther]

for reference, i did say if we won vs west coast id do something quirky

 

[jmoo wan]

View attachment 1983654
Beerfish

thanks mate, that was great mate, always mate good to hear mate from a bomber mate,

 

[mcgrath_truther]

thanks mate, that was great mate, always mate good to hear mate from a bomber mate,

really touched my heart

very heartwarming stuff

 

[dank420_]

the eags....

 

[ghostdog]

Beerfish, can I please have Marto's boots?

Kind regards,
Gd

 

[FlyingV]

Mmmaaaaattteeee

 

[Beerfish]

for reference, i did say if we won vs west coast id do something quirky

I don't know what to say mate. That has absolutely made my day and it had been a really s**t one up until I saw that so many many thanks.

 

[mcgrath_truther]

I don't know what to say mate. That has absolutely made my day and it had been a really s**t one up until I saw that so many many thanks.

glad i could help!

 

[BrunoV]

Is this guy a good kick of the ball or is it that he will bite off the 10/10 degree of difficulty daisy cutter that he makes 1-2/10 times?

It is staggering that we are funneling our half back ball through this guy, who utterly butchers as many as he doesn't, while we have reduced Redman's possession rate.

For me the determining factor of a quality kick is the consistency of the trajectory not the occasional spectacular target. Does the ball get to its intended target with the ideal trajectory and weighting as quickly as possible? And at what percentage of the time?

Martin hits simple targets and sprays many more difficult kicks than he pulls off. I'm far from convinced he is more than a slightly above average kick. I'd back Redman to hit 2-3 times the number of difficult targets.

 

[Nicholas61]

Is this guy a good kick of the ball or is it that he will bite off the 10/10 degree of difficulty daisy cutter that he makes 1-2/10 times?

It is staggering that we are funneling our half back ball through this guy, who utterly butchers as many as he doesn't, while we have reduced Redman's possession rate.

For me the determining factor of a quality kick is the consistency of the trajectory not the occasional spectacular target. Does the ball get to its intended target with the ideal trajectory and weighting as quickly as possible? And at what percentage of the time?

Martin hits simple targets and sprays many more difficult kicks than he pulls off. I'm far from convinced he is more than a slightly above average kick. I'd back Redman to hit 2-3 times the number of difficult targets.

Not sure if it is the change in role and where he is getting it, or there is now the pressure of what he has done being expected. His decision making and ball use in the past has typically been sublime IMO. The earlier match against Geelong at the G last year where Hawkins monstered us Martin's ball use and decision making was as good as I have witnessed.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

He is a great kick. He’s biting a bit more off than he can chew at times but he has been given the licence and I personally love. He will make mistakes but he hits far more than he misses and he creates so much.

 

[VexOh]

Was terrible I thought. Has a really rubbish tendency to kick it on his left peg (clearly not aware of his limitations with his left leg) - when he should be making every effort to get on his right foot, which is clearly leading to him butchering the ball far too much.

 

[caboose]

Was terrible I thought. Has a really rubbish tendency to kick it on his left peg (clearly not aware of his limitations with his left leg) - when he should be making every effort to get on his right foot, which is clearly leading to him butchering the ball far too much.

Good grief. He was - and is, almost always - superb.

I’ve been watching the Bombers since the 1970s, and I’m struggling to think of too many of our players who have been better users off half back in that time.

Plus which he’s got great running power, excellent football nous, and he gets himself involved positively in almost all parts of the ground in the course of most games.

Including on the basis of how we recruited him from the football scrapheap … his performance to date with Essendon and his whole story is outstanding.

 

[Old Campaigner]

When you get it 30+ times you're probably going to butcher a few.

My (potentially incorrect) impression is that he's often trying to bite of the difficult pass to a player in a really dangerous position. It looks great when he pulls it off but can look pretty s**t when it results in a turnover in the corridor. We're a better side when him, Merrett and McGrath take those really attacking option though.

 

[WABomber]

When you get it 30+ times you're probably going to butcher a few.

My (potentially incorrect) impression is that he's often trying to bite of the difficult pass to a player in a really dangerous position. It looks great when he pulls it off but can look pretty s**t when it results in a turnover in the corridor. We're a better side when him, Merrett and McGrath take those really attacking option though.

He absolutely tries to get way to cute with it, two out of bounds on the full in a row? I don't think I can remember anyone doing that before. He is trying to pinpoint some very difficult kicks and in the end it puts pressure on the receiver, he does some great things and his overall contribution negates most turnovers but I reckon he should choose the safer option more often.

 

[Old Campaigner]

He absolutely tries to get way to cute with it, two out of bounds on the full in a row? I don't think I can remember anyone doing that before. He is trying to pinpoint some very difficult kicks and in the end it puts pressure on the receiver, he does some great things and his overall contribution negates most turnovers but I reckon he should choose the safer option more often.

How does he know when to choose the safer option? He's going for those dangerous kicks because he's backing himself to nail it, if he starts doubting that ability too much we'll lose what makes him great.

 

[JayJ20]

I still like him better forward half of centre. His best period this season was the last quarter vs Collingwood. He did admittedly have a huge game in defence vs West Coast.

I don't know what happened to his kicking this year but it was elite last year. Once Ridley, Reid and Duursma return, I'd like to see him return to the wing.

 

[BrunoV]

How does he know when to choose the safer option? He's going for those dangerous kicks because he's backing himself to nail it, if he starts doubting that ability too much we'll lose what makes him great.

It could be measured pretty easily even though it would be time consuming.

Of the few kicks he actually pulls of how many end up as score involvements? That would be one of the times the score involvements stats could legitimately be cited as evidence of quality. I'd also give him inside 50s.

Then do the reverse with every shank and you'd get your answer.